Stuck With YOU
by Mrs Prongs Mrs Padfoot
Summary: CHAPTER TEN ADDED - COMPLETE Sirius bribes Lily into becoming the victim of one of his stupid games -- before she knows it, the whole school is playing and she's stuck with James the entire twelve hours of it.
1. Chapter One

Stuck With YOU

Chapter One

By Mrs Padfoot

Disclaimer: It's NOT mine, dammit. Don't rub it in.

**

"I'm bored," Sirius Black informed Lily Evans.

She didn't even look up.

"That's nice," she told him.

"I need something to do."

"Lovely."

"I think I'm going to turn Snape into a squirrel," he said.

"Do, and I'll give you detention every night for the rest of the year," she said sweetly, still looking at the rack of candy in front of her.

"I'd do it anyway," he told her.

She believed him.

She sighed.

"What do you want?"

"I want to play sardines," he said happily.

"That," said Lily, "has got to be the single, most stupid thing I have ever heard in my life."

"I think I'm insulted," said Sirius.

"You should be," said Lily.

"I **really **want to play Sardines," he said.

"Then go play Sardines," said Lily. "You have your little group to play with."

"Remus says you need four people to play Sardines," said Sirius mournfully.

"You **have** four people, Black," she told him. "You, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. One, two, three, **four**."

"No we don't," moaned Sirius. "Jamesey has detention. And Remus says he won't play with only three people."

She turned to face him.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to come play Sardines with us," said Sirius happily.

"Why should I?"

"Because if you don't," he said. "I'll play with Snivellus – I think he would like being a squirrel. If you do – I won't play with our dear little friend for two whole months."

Lily sighed. She had a feeling that playing Sardines would be better than having to deal with another one of their pranks.

"Fine," she said. "What do I do?"

**

Lily held herself very still as the feet approached, hoping that no one would see her. She knew that eventually, one of them would find her.

A part of her wondered why she was here. Why wasn't she just enjoying her Hogsmeade visit like a normal student? Why was she hiding under the table in the back room of The Three Broomsticks? Why did she always get involved in these stupid little things?

Lily wondered where her life had gone so drastically wrong. Despite the fact that she was almost always in the company of one James Potter (not by her own choice, mind you), who was constantly asking her out, she still usually managed to keep some semblance of dignity.

She could only remain hidden for so long. As far as she could tell, she had been hiding here for a little over two hours. Her legs were starting to go numb, and her knees hurt. It was an experience that could only be described as hours of excruciating boredom and pain, broken up with short moments of pure terror.

She shut her eyes tightly and decided that next time Sirius Black tried to pull her into one of his stupid games because he was bored, she would kill him. Next time, she would ignore him, even if said he was going to burn down the castle if she didn't play with him. Because this was not worth it. She was ruining her Hogsmeade weekend, and all in the name of keeping Sirius Black from playing one of his stupid pranks.

She saw another pair of feet approach.

Scrunching herself in a ball, she wondered how she had ended up so paranoid.

Funny thing was, these feet seemed to be headed right for her.

They even stopped right in front of the table.

James Potter poked his head under the table.

"I thought you were in detention," whispered Lily fervently as he slid under the table.

"Oh I was," he said. "I just finished."

"I suppose you saw your dear friend Sirius and he told you to join in on the fun? Well, now that there are four of you, I'll just be going and you can take my spot – "

She started standing, but he caught her arm.

"You can't," he said. "Practically the whole school is playing now, all looking for **you**, not me. They'll be furious with you. You'll never live it down."

She stopped and looked at him.

"I didn't run into Sirius either," he said. "I ran into those two Ravenclaws, Stephanie Glenn and Alexandra Antman – they're playing too, now. In fact, I think Stephanie is quite taken with me – must be my legendary charm."

"Get over yourself," said Lily, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!"

"No, you're James," said Lily. "But how did you find me?"

"Maybe I just know you better," he grinned.

"Dammit, James! How did you do it? I've been here two hours and no one **ELSE **has managed to find me, and you walk off detention, find out what's going on from your little girlfriends, and then walk straight to my hiding spot! How, how, how?"

"Move over," he told her.

"Tell me how you did it first," she said.

"No. Move over. I wish you had chosen a place that was more comfortable. No wonder no one's found you yet. Who'd want to sit here for hours at a time?"

"That's what makes it a good hiding place," she informed him. "No one will look for me here."

"No kidding," he muttered.

"I don't suppose you brought anything to read."

"I came straight here," he told her.

"Exactly my point," she said. "HOW DID YOU DO IT? It galls me. You couldn't've checked anywhere else, and I have a sick feeling you knew exactly where I was as soon as you knew I was hiding."

"I did," he confirmed, "I suppose it's because I know how your mind works."

"You do NOT know how my mind works," she muttered.

"I beg to differ," he said. "I found you, didn't I? And yes, I knew where you were as soon as I heard you were the one hiding. I was just wondering if anyone else had figured it out."

"Hmmph," she muttered.

"What are we doing here, anyway?" he asked.

"Playing sardines," she said.

"Will it sound stupid if I ask what that is?"

"Yes," she said.

"Oh, screw it. What's sardines?"

She rolled her eyes.

"It's like the reverse of hide and seek. One person hides, everyone else finds them, and hides with them."

"Oh," he said. "How did **you **know that?"

"I used to play it with my sister when I was little," she said quietly.

"How did Padf – Sirius – know about it?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"Um, Lily?"

"What?"

"You know most of the school is playing, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"How are they all supposed to fit under this table with us?" he asked. "I don't get it."

"That's the point," she groaned. "Eventually they'll all be sprawled out across the floor around us. They probably won't all fit in the room."

He snickered, but didn't have a change to answer, as at that moment two pairs of feet, one male, and one female.

"Lock the door," said a familiar male voice, followed by a click.

Lily, looking horrified, scrambled to get out from under the table, but James caught her arm.

She glared at him, but he shook his head, putting his finger to his mouth. He pulled her close enough to whisper in his ear.

"If we get up now," he said almost inaudibly, "they'll see us."

Lily hated to admit it, but he had a point.

"On the table," said the female voice, which Lily knew, but didn't know.

Sure enough, both pairs of feet disappeared above them.

"Oh my god," said James, seconds later.

"What?" asked Lily.

He pointed at something.

"Oh my god," said Lily. "I am not old enough to be here right now."

"What?" he said. "Oh – you mean the bra?"

"Yes," whispered Lily. "I mean the ruddy BLACK LACE bra! ON THE FLOOR! What did you think?"

"I was looking at the boxers," said James helpfully.

"WHY?"

"They're – they're Sirius's!"

Lily looked at the boxers (covered with golden snitches) and then back at James.

"You're kidding," she said.

"No," he said.

"This is NOT happening," said Lily.

"It better not be," said James, "cause if it is, it means that Sirius – SIRIUS – is getting lucky before me!"

Lily gave him a disgusted look.

"Keep your voice down," she told him.

"Oh, woe is me," said James mournfully.

Above them, the table shook violently. A shoe hit the ground with a thud.

"I am undone," said James.

"Shut UP!" moaned Lily.

James looked at her and did.

"Say, Lily," he said. "Do you wanna help me beat Sirius – I mean, not technically, but seem like we did it at the same time?"

"Not particularly," said Lily.

"Damn," said James.

A few seconds passed.

Then James snorted.

Lily looked at him as if he were nuts.

Tears were rolling from his eyes, and he was shaking.

He was trying not to laugh.

Quickly, Lily slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't you DARE," she yelped quietly.

"I can't help it," he said. "It's just too weird."

"This is NOT funny," she informed him.

"Yes it is," said James, snickering. "Oh, hell, yes it is."

His whole body was shaking, and she was trying to keep him under control.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Damn," said Sirius audibly.

"Luckily, we didn't get to the good stuff," said the female voice.

"I dunno," said Sirius. "I was enjoying the stuff we were doing pretty well myself."

"James!" said Lily in an urgent whisper, "her robe!"

James looked around and saw what Lily meant – the girl's robe was partway under the table. He shoved it away just before her hand reached down to grab it.

A few more seconds passed, and two pairs of feet hit the floor, heading for the door, which opened.

James poked his head out from under the table. Lily tried to grab him back, but before she could, he was back under the table.

"It's her – one of those two Ravenclaws I talked to."

"THERE you are, Alex," said another female voice. "I couldn't find you. Where were you?"

"Oh," said the first female voice (presumably Alex). "Sirius thought he knew where Lily might be – but well, he was wrong. They're not in here."

Lily let out a quiet giggle.

Alexandra and Sirius exited with Stephanie, and the door shut behind them.

James jumped out from the under the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Lily.

"We have to find another hiding place," said James.

"No we don't," said Lily. "They'll never look for us here NOW."

"Yes," said James. "But someone will eventually find us, and then word will get out that we were here when THEY were here and then – well, Sirius and that Ravenclaw will kill us and chop is into eensy weensy pieces."

"Oh my god," said Lily. "You're right."

"We are finding another hiding place," said James, heading for the exit. "NOW."


	2. Chapter Two

Stuck With YOU  
  
Chapter Two  
  
By Mrs Prongs  
  
Disclaimer: Riiight. I'm JK Rowling and you're a fuzzy pink monkey.  
  
Note: Just for the record, they are in the beginning of their seventh year.  
  
**  
  
James took Lily by the arm and started dragging her towards Hogwarts.  
  
"Why are we going back up there?! Someone will definitely spot us now! Especially since we're crossing the grounds IN MID AFTERNOON!," Lily screamed at James as she tried to get his hand off of her forearm.  
  
"Well, if they don't see us, they're sure to hear us with your loud mouth. Just be quiet and blend in," James said with a look of determination on his face as he headed for the castle.  
  
"Blend in?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
  
"BLEND IN?! How the hell am I supposed to "blend in" with GRASS?," she yelled, only a little more quiet than before.  
  
"Lily, please," he said in an exasperated tone.  
  
"Fine. Only because my throat is starting to get sore."  
  
About five minutes later James and Lily were three feet away from the doors to the Entrance Hall. They hadn't spoken a word to eachother other than the occasional muttering of 'I'm going to kill Sirius' under their breath.   
  
"Did you hear that?," Lily said, stopping and taking a look around her.  
  
"Hear what?"   
  
As if on cue, there was a loud thud coming from the other side of the door.  
  
"That."  
  
James looked at her as if she were stupid, "Yes, Lily, I heard it that time."  
  
"Well, go see what it is."  
  
"No," he stated, looking appalled, "you go. You heard it first."  
  
"Why are we getting so worked up over a sound?"  
  
"I don't know, but on the count of three, we'll both push open the doors."  
  
"Okay," Lily agreed reluctantly.  
  
"One...Two...,"   
  
"THREE!"  
  
James and Lily pushed open the doors, only to find Peeves hovering above throwing water balloons around.   
  
"SOMEONE COME QUICK! I FOUND LILY EVANS!," Peeves screamed at the top of his lungs.  
  
Ignoring him, they quickly turned left.  
  
"Now where are we going?," Lily asked.  
  
"You'll see." James answered. They walked past at least a dozen class rooms before James stopped.  
  
"It's a wall," Lily stated dully.  
  
"Yes, but it's no ordinary wall."  
  
With that said, James took his wand and muttered a charm. Suddenly, a wooden door appeared. Before Lily could ask any questions, James pulled her inside with her inside with him.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
  
  
"In a hidey-spot, of course," he said triumphantly.  
  
Lily just rolled her eyes.  
  
"James, I'm serious."  
  
James's eyes widened. "You're Sirius?!," he said, sounding astonished, "Well, if you're Sirius, then who were you having sex with in the Three Broomsticks?"  
  
Lily hit him on the arm. "You know what I mean."  
  
"Ow, that hurt, but we're in a closet that obviously everyone else in Hogwarts knows about except you."  
  
Lily ignored the "except you" part. "Well," Lily said slowly, "If everyone else knows about it, then why are we in here?"  
  
In the same tone of voice Lily used, James answered, "Because everyone would have checked here already. I mean, the game has been going on for," he checked his watch, "four hours."  
  
"Oh."  
  
About twenty minutes later, they heard voices outside of the closet.   
  
"It's Sirius!," James exclaimed in a hushed tone, "and those two Ravenclaws!"  
  
"I thought you said everyone would have already checked here," Lily said angrily.  
  
"Well, I'm not a mind reader, you know."  
  
  
  
"URGH!, YOU IDIOT!," Lily screamed at the top of her lungs. After realizing what she had done she clapped her hand against her mouth.   
  
"See girls, I told you they were here," Sirius said with a tone of satisfaction.  
  
Lily crumpled up in a ball and tried not to think of the consequences that would come if Sirius and the other two girls tried to fit in the closet with her and James.  
  
"Oh, Siri, you're so smart," one of the girls, and James had a good idea who, said dreamily.  
  
Lily gagged and James tried to keep from laughing.  
  
"Now if I can only remember that charm," Sirius muttered.   
  
At this James and Lily both started laughing uncontrollably. Well, more James than Lily, but she was have her fair share of giggling.  
  
"Hey, Sirius!?," James asked (well, yelled).   
  
"SHUT UP, PRONGS!," Sirius screamed.  
  
"Oh, Sirius, just give up now. You can't open the door, so that means you can't find us." Lily said.  
  
"LILY!? I though you were my friend," Sirius said, sounding hurt.  
  
"How can you expect me to be your friend when you got me into this mess?"  
  
"Well, you know what, I'm just going to find someone who KNOWS the spell to get this door open," he said, "and you know what that means, Lils?" Before she could answer, Sirius finished, "That means, eventually, YOU LOSE," he ended with a huff, and stormed off. James assumed the Ravenclaw girls followed him.  
  
"Bye James," said Stephanie, the one who clearly fancied him.  
  
"Byeeee!," he answered in a cheery tone. Moments later she was gone.   
  
"Well," he said, "time to find a new hidey-pot."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine. As long as you stop calling it a hidey-pot." With that, James opened the closet, grabbed her arm, and set down the hall again. 


	3. Chapter Three

Stuck With YOU  
  
Chapter Three By Mrs Padfoot Disclaimer: I'm not sure J.K. Rowling would WANT to own this insanity.  
  
**  
  
"I cannot believe this," said Lily under her breath. "I just . . . cannot believe this."  
  
"I'm sure you can't," said James sarcastically.  
  
"This is the worst day of my life," said Lily.  
  
"Mine too," said James sullenly. "Sirius finally gets lucky - BEFORE me! And then you won't help me get lucky."  
  
"I won't indulge your horny teenage male fantasies, no," said Lily.  
  
James pouted.  
  
Lily sighed.  
  
"Where are we going now?" asked Lily.  
  
"The dungeons," said James.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because everyone hates the dungeons," said James.  
  
"Exactly my point," she said. "Why are we going there?"  
  
"Because no one will look for us there," said James.  
  
"What if Professor Teasdale catches us?"  
  
"He won't," said James.  
  
"What if he does?"  
  
"It'll be worth it," said James.  
  
"No it will not," said Lily. "I am not ruining my detention-free track record for a stupid game of sardines."  
  
"It WILL be worth it," said James. "No one will EVER think of us hiding down there. Of course, there is the offhand chance Snivellus -"  
  
"SNAPE!"  
  
" - will be down there for FUN, and he'll catch us, but otherwise, no one will think of going down there."  
  
"I'm beginning to wonder," said Lily, "why we're trying to keep them from catching us. I mean, if they all find us, then the game's over, and we can RESIGN and let THEM play their stupid little game."  
  
"Lily," said James reproachfully, "you're ruining the fun of the game! Let them have their fun. It's YOUR fault WE'RE not having fun."  
  
"MY fault? How, exactly, is it MY fault?"  
  
"You won't let me get lucky with you," said James sadly.  
  
"Would you PLEASE use a term besides 'get lucky??'" asked Lily furiously. "It's beyond irritating."  
  
"How about 'have wild sex?'" asked James.  
  
"How about we stop talking about it?" groaned Lily.  
  
"Fine," said James, pouting.  
  
Still, his spirits were not dampened enough to keep him from pulling a reluctant Lily all the way down to the dungeons.  
  
"See," he said. "No one here!"  
  
"Lovely," said Lily, as he half-pulled, half-dragged her across the potions classroom.  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"Where are we going to hide?"  
  
"I told you," he said. "In the dungeons."  
  
"WHERE in the dungeons?"  
  
He didn't answer, but instead, pulled her to a door.  
  
"Oh, no," said Lily. "No, no, no, and NO!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I am NOT hiding in Professor Teasdale's office under ANY circumstances!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"He'll kill us!"  
  
"By the time he finds us, there will be so many people here, that he won't even be able to give most of us detention!"  
  
She narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I thought you said that NO ONE was going to find us here," said Lily.  
  
"Oh," said James, pausing from trying to pull her into the office. "Yeah, I guess I did."  
  
"It doesn't matter, anyway," said Lily. "Because even if EVERYONE playing was here, all he has to ask is WHO WAS HERE FIRST? And everyone will say, well, we were looking for Lily Evans, sir, and BAM! I'm in detention!"  
  
"Lily," sighed James.  
  
"James," sighed Lily, imitating him.  
  
"Come on," he said, and with a giant tug, he had pulled her in.  
  
She glared at him.  
  
He climbed on Professor Teasdale's desk.  
  
"WHAT are you DOING?" she asked.  
  
"Getting into our hiding place," he said.  
  
"Which is what, exactly?"  
  
"The potions stores," he said.  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"Because no one will look for us there," said James matter-of-factly.  
  
"That's because it's FORBIDDEN," said Lily.  
  
"Exactly," said James. "No one will look for us there."  
  
"That's what you said last time," said Lily. "And guess what happened? SIRIUS AND HIS GIRLFRIEND AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND FOUND US!"  
  
"NO ONE WILL LOOK FOR US HERE," he said.  
  
"Yes, no one will look for US here," she said. "But with OUR luck, Professor Teasdale will look for his potion supplies and find us here."  
  
"Anyway," he said, pulling her up into the stores cabinet with him. "She's not my girlfriend."  
  
"She sure as well WANTS to be."  
  
"What can I say? I'm just plain sexy," he said ruffling his hair and closing the door.  
  
"Yeah, sure," muttered Lily. "Why don't you ask her to help you get lucky? I'm sure she's be willing."  
  
"Jealous, Lily dear?" he grinned.  
  
"Not on your life," she scoffed.  
  
"I think I'm wounded," he said.  
  
"You should be," she informed him.  
  
"How am I ever going to live this down? Tonight, Padfoot will give me all the juicy details, and I'll just sit there mournfully, wishing I could have a story to tell."  
  
"You'll have a story to tell," she said. "Just not a perverted and downright disgusting one."  
  
"What if I WANT a perverted and downright disgusting one?" he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Speaking of disgusting," muttered Lily. "Why the hell are we hiding with newt's eyes and salamander's tails?"  
  
"Because no one will look for us here," he told her again.  
  
"And even if they find us, they won't want to get in here with us," groaned Lily, looking around.  
  
She swung the door open.  
  
"What are you DOING?" he asked her.  
  
"Leaving," she informed him.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I am NOT sitting in there listening to your kinky dreams surrounded by frog brains," said Lily.  
  
"Girls," said James, rolling his eyes.  
  
"Are you coming, or are you going to wait for Teasdale to catch you?"  
  
"I would never leave you, Lily dear," he said, grinning at her and hopping down.  
  
"Come ON," she groaned.  
  
"Anyway," he said. "It would've been hard to get lucky with you in there."  
  
"JAMES!"  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered.  
  
"On second thought, I'm leaving you behind," she informed him.  
  
"No you're not," he said. "I'm coming with you. And this time, YOU get to choose the hiding place!" 


	4. Chapter Four

Stuck With YOU  
  
Chapter Four  
  
By Mrs Prongs  
  
Disclaimer: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE  
  
**  
  
"Fine," Lily said making her way up the stairs back into the Entrance Hall.  
  
"Where are we going to now?," James asked curiously.  
  
"I'm going to forfeit," she said with her arms crossed as she quickened her pace across the marble floor with a glint of fury in her eyes.  
  
"NO! You can't! You'll ruin everything, Lily. You'll upset the whole school. You won't even survive to be a fully trained witch if you back down now!," he explained, abruptly stopping in front of the doors to the Great Hall. Lily stopped as well.  
  
"I don't care. I'm tired of playing, and you know whose fault it is that I'm stuck doing this in the first place?," Lily asked, fuming.  
  
"Whose?"  
  
"YOURS, James Potter. You just HAD to be stuck in detention when Sirius was going through one of his boredom fits. Do you know how many people it takes to play Sardines? FOUR. That's right James, FOUR. If YOU had been there YOU would have been the fourth person, but noooo, James Potter is too selfish. He just has to go and get into trouble while playing one of his stupid pranks, leaving ME to be THREATENED into playing a STUPID game by and with YOUR best friend."  
  
"Lily, I'm sorry. I really am. And for your information, I didn't get into detention by playing one of my "stupid pranks". I was blamed for playing one, so really, in the long run, you can't blame me."  
  
"Oh yes I can! If you didn't have a reputation for doing immature things like that you wouldn't have been blamed in the first place!"  
  
"I'm sorry," James said, looking slightly hurt. Lily stood there for a moment thinking about whether or not she should forgive him.  
  
  
  
"Okay, fine. Let's go find somewhere else to hide," she said, then turned and started to ascend the first flight of stairs.  
  
  
  
James cracked a smile. "You're the best, Evans."  
  
"Yea, yea," she replied grugingly.  
  
Five flights of stairs later, James stopped in mid turn.  
  
"What is it?," Lily asked.  
  
"I hear voices....HIDE." James pulled her into a nearby classroom.  
  
"You really need to stop pulling me. You're going to pop my arm out of the socket one day," she said, rubbing her shoulder where he had pulled her this time.  
  
  
  
"Shhhh," James said, while peeking out of the door window.  
  
"Who is it?," Lily whispered.  
  
"......Sirius."  
  
"I swear, how does that boy find us?"  
  
I look of fright overcame James's face. He had just remembered the Maraurder's Map.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"THAT PRICK! THAT....THAT....THAT CHEATER!," James exclaimed, looking for something to throw. "Hide, Lily. Hide in that closet. I'll be back in a second."   
  
After making sure she was safe in the closet, he went out into the hall to come face to face with the bastard himself.  
  
"Where is it?!," James asked ferociously.  
  
  
  
I look of innocence swept over his face. "Where's what?"  
  
"THE MAP! I know you have it! Hand it over!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
  
  
"Sirius, it's cheating!"  
  
"SO? What are you going to do about it, Jamesey?"   
  
At that moment, Sirius wished he hadn't said anything at all. James looked as if he was going to attack him.  
  
"HAND IT OVER RIGHT NOW BEFORE I HEX YOU INTO NEXT YEAR!"  
  
Sirius had a feeling he wasn't kidding and reluctantly pulled the Map out of his robe pocket.  
  
"James, it's just a game." Sirius knew that it was useless to say this at all because to James, winning is life. Dating the latest "hot" girl (exluding Lily, of course; he was just in love with her), winning a game (particularly Quidditch), getting the top grade in class, it didn't matter. If James Potter didn't win, he'd go ballistic and it took about 2 days until he calmed down.   
  
"Ok, Sirius," James said calmly, "We'll pretend this never happened, alright? You and I will go upstairs and put this away; then YOU have to stay in the Great Hall for exactly 20 minutes so Lily and I can find I new hidey-p, I mean, hiding place."  
  
Sirius stiffled a laugh. Hidey-pot? Priceless. Sirius made a mental note to blackmail him with this later, "Alright, James."  
  
"Well, nevermind Padfoot, go yourself," he said, remembering the red head he left in the closet, "but I swear I'll know if you have it or not," James said, glaring at him. "I have to go and join Lily now," he added with a smile.  
  
When Sirius was out of sight, James went back into the classroom and over to the closet.  
  
"Alright, Lily, it's been 6 hours since this damn game started and I'm going to win," James said, helping her up from the uncomfortable position she was sitting in in the corner of the book closet.  
  
Lily got up and dusted herself off. "So what was that about?"  
  
"Sirius was cheating, the big git. Let's go."  
  
Lily sighed. "Where?"  
  
  
  
"To a new hidey-pot of course!," James replied, rolling his eyes, "God, Evans, I would think you would have figured out our routine by now." 


	5. Chapter Five

Stuck With YOU

Chapter Five

By Mrs Padfoot . . .

Disclaimer: Meh.

**

            "Where are we going THIS time?" asked Lily.

            "I don't know," said James, shrugging.

            "You don't know?" asked Lily.

            "Nope," said James.  "It's your turn to choose, remember?"

            "Oh, yes," said Lily.  "I forgot."

            "Well," said James.  "Good thing I'm here to remind you."

            "What would I do without you?" muttered Lily sarcastically.

            "Die?" asked James.

            "In your dreams, Potter," said Lily, grabbing his arm and pulling him up the stairs.

            "Where are we going?" asked James.

            "You'll see," Lily informed him.

            "But I want to know NOW," he said.

            "Well that's too bad for you, isn't it?" she said.

            "Why won't you tell me?" he asked sadly.

            "Because it's a surprise," she told him.

            "I don't like surprises," he informed her.

            "Lovely for you, isn't it?"

            "Not really," James sighed.  "But I suppose I don't have a choice."

            "No," she said, "you don't."

            He mumbled something inaudible, but followed her up the stairs anyway.

            She stopped, suddenly.

            "We're hiding HERE?"

            "Yes," she said.

            "In the middle of a hallway?"

            "Well, no," said Lily.

            "It LOOKS like an empty hallway to ME!  Look at it!  There's NOTHING in the whole hallway except that statue of the idiot who can't put his gloves on the right hands and a couple random doors that only the teachers know the password too – and I KNOW!  Trust me, Sirius and I have tried to get in every one of those doors multiple times," exclaimed James.

            "Mmhmm," said Lily distractedly.

            "What are we going to do, hide behind the statue?"

            "Not quite," said Lily, walking up to one of the doors, leaning into it, and whispering something.

            It opened.

            James gaped at her.

            "How did you DO that?" he asked.

            "Unlike YOU," she said pointedly, "I am not only Head Girl, but also a prefect.  Welcome to the prefect's bathroom, Mr. Potter."

            James blinked, but let himself be led into the room.

            "This isn't as good as the head's bathroom," he said.

            "I know," she said.  "But that would REALLY be cheating, wouldn't it?  I mean, no one can get in there except us."

            "Exactly," he said.

            She snorted.

            "I am not sinking that low for a GAME, James Potter."

            "You're sinking THIS low," he reminded her.  "It's not much lower, you know."

            She ignored him.

            "Think of all the poor little firsties who are at a disadvantage because they AREN'T prefects," he said mournfully.

            She rolled her eyes and moved to sit behind the stack of towels.

            "Someday, they'll be prefects, and they'll sit back and wish that they were prefects way back when – so they could've found that evil – that foul – that –"

            "ALRIGHT ALREADY, just GET BACK HERE!" she yelled at him.

            "Temper, temper, Lily darling," he scolded.

            "Please stop calling me Lily darling," she said as he settled behind the towels behind her.

            "I haven't been calling you Lily darling except for that once," he said sweetly.

            "Yes, you have," she informed him.

            "No, I haven't," he said, sending her a dazzling smile.  "I've been calling you Lily dear."

            She rolled her eyes.

            "Let me rephrase," she sighed, "please stop using all terms that imply endearment when speaking to me."

            "You take all the fun out of my life," James pouted.

            "I'm glad I've accomplished SOMETHING," she groaned.  

"You wound me," he said, giving her a look of feigned hurt.

"Oh, shut it, Potter," she groaned.  

He opened his mouth to respond, but the door opened before and words escaped him.

"Who is it?" mouthed Lily.

"I don't know, YOU check," mouthed James back.

"You're closer," she whispered.

He was indeed.

"FINE," he mouthed, leaning over sideways so his eyes peered around the side of the mound of towels.

He leaned back within seconds.

"That is more of Moony than I've EVER wanted to see," said James, looking thoroughly disturbed.

"Who?" asked Lily.

"Erm . . . Remus," said James.  "It's a nickname."

"Don't tell me he's taking a bath!?!"

"No, he's reading a book," said James sarcastically.  "What do you think he's doing?  It's a BATHROOM!"

Lily shut her eyes tightly, trying to imagine it all away.

"This was a stupid idea," James informed her.

Lily ignored him.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," James mocked.

Lily shut her eyes tighter, trying to block out his voice.

"Evans did something stupid – this must be a first!"

Lily tried deep, even breaths.

"You're just too high-and-mighty to ADMIT you were WRONG," he said.

"Fine," she said.  "Yes, it was a stupid idea to hide in a bathroom.  Would you shut up now?"

"Fine," said James, leaning against the wall of towels at the exact same time as Lily.

It collapsed under the joint weight, falling like a bunch of dominoes, leaving James and Lily lying on top of it.

Remus Lupin, sitting in a mound of bubbles, stared at them.

James and Lily stared at the ceiling.

"Shit," said James.

"JAMES!" said Lily.

"James?" said Remus.  "Lily?"

"Yes, it's us," said James sadly.  "You've found us, Moony."

"Found you?"

"Yes," said James.  "We're playing Sardines."

"Oh, yes," said Remus.  "Sirius's stupid little game, right?"

"Yeah," said James.

"I thought you were playing," said Lily.

"Oh I quit ages ago," said Remus.  "I didn't want to play in the first place – tried to get out of it, but Lily ruined my excuse."

"Sorry," said Lily.  "He bribed me into it.  It wasn't my fault."

"Then whose fault was it?"

"James's," said Lily.

"I'm not even going to ask where THAT bit of logic comes in," said Remus.

"Please don't," said James.

"Erm," said Remus, "I hate to ruin your fun, but could you please LEAVE?  I'm trying to take a bath!"

"Fine," said Lily, starting to move upwards.  James caught her.

"You are NOT allowed to see Remus like that," said James scornfully.

"Since when are YOU my keeper?" asked Lily.

"Would you two stop it?" asked Remus, a tint of amusement coloring his voice.  "I'm under the bubbles.  Don't worry James, Lily will see nothing but my head popping out – unless THAT'S what you're against her seeing."

Lily used James's distraction to jump up.

"Goodbye, Remus," she said, dragging James with her.

"Have a nice bath," said James, waving.  "Don't tell anyone you saw us!"

"What does it matter?" asked Lily.  "He doesn't know where we're going.  For that matter, neither do I."

The door shut behind them.

"But I know EXACTLY where we're going next," said James, grinning.

**

By the way, thank you everyone for the nice reviews!  It really means a lot to me, at least, and I'm pretty sure it means a lot to both of us.  Thanks:)


	6. Chapter Six

Stuck With YOU  
  
Chapter Six  
  
By Mrs Prongs  
  
Disclaimer:..........  
  
**  
  
Lily followed James down 8 flights steps all the way to the second floor.   
  
"Brilliant. And we're going to hide where exactly?," Lily asked.  
  
"Right this way, Miss Evans," he said, as he set down the corridor a little ways until he stopped in front of a tapestry of a woman playing the harp.  
  
"This is about as good as your "secret" closet," Lily said as she glared at him.  
  
"No, no, no. This is better." James slipped behind the tapestry and was followed closely by Lily.  
  
"So we're going to hide behind a rug on the wall?," she asked exasperated.  
  
"Stop jumping to conclusions, would you? All you do is assume!," yelled James, biting back. Lily was shocked. Usually Potter was kissing the ground she walked on with the sarcastic remark here and there, but suddenly yelling at her? Lily brushed it off. She had been being a bit, well, catty.  
  
"Okay, Evans, there is a door to your right," James said as if he were talking to a child, "Open it and go in."  
  
"Ugh."  
  
Lily opened the door only to find yet another closet for them to cramp into.  
  
"Good plan. And how many people know of this place THIS TIME?"  
  
"No one that I know of," he replied, thoroughly proud of his accomplishment to find a decent hiding place.  
  
Lily just rolled her eyes and slid to the floor, taking up all of the space the closet would allow her to.   
  
"You're not the only one who wants to sit down, you know," said James.  
  
"Yes, but remember the last time YOU sat down? Remus found us. You know why? Because your big arse knocked down the towels!"  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, Miss Priss, but it wasn't even my arse. It was my back, if I remember correctly."  
  
"I DON'T CARE WHAT THE HELL IT WAS! It blew our cover. End of story"  
  
"So you say."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Fine.  
  
"FINE!"  
  
"FINE!"  
  
At that, James sunk to the floor himself, pushing Lily's legs out of his way.  
  
After about 30 minutes of complete silence, Lily spoke up.  
  
"How long are we going to stay in here?"  
  
"Until someone finds us."  
  
"Ergh."  
  
"I have to say this has been one of my best hidey-pot suggestions yet."  
  
"Couldn't you have found another place with a little more leg room?"  
  
Before James could answer, there was a ruffling outside the door that sounded as if someone was behind the tapestry. James and Lily listened closely. After about 10 seconds of dead silence, the door flew open to reveal McGonagall on the other side.  
  
James just grinned. "So are you playing Sardines, too, Professor?"  
  
McGonagall looked appalled. "Sardines, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Yes, you know, when-"   
  
Professor McGonagall cut him off mid sentence. "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know. I do, however, want you and Miss Evans to get out of the broom closet."  
  
"Right-Ho McGonagally-O," James said in a cheery voice. He helped Lily up and they left the small closet.   
  
"Professor McGonagall?"  
  
McGonagall turned her head towards them. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"If anyone asks if you know where we are, especially Sirius, you haven't seen us." Before she could answer, he had already left, dragging Lily by her arm yet again.  
  
"No one will find us; No one knows about it," Lily said mockingly.  
  
"I didn't say that the Professors didn't know. Besides, she wasn't playing the game."  
  
"No, Potter, of course she wasn't playing the stupid game, but who made us lose our hidey-po, I mean hiding place? Ergh, you've got me saying it, too," Lily said and hit him.  
  
"No need for violence, but let me take a wild guess at who made us lose our hidey-pot."  
  
"Go ahead, who?"  
  
"McGonagall."  
  
"DAMNIT POTTER, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! YOU KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL THAT IT WAS YOU WHO MADE US LOSE OUR HIDING PLACE THIS TIME!" Lily lunged on him and started choking him.  
  
"Evans!....Evans!....EVANS!," said, James, struggling to breath, "You're killing me!"  
  
Lily, noticing that James was starting to turn purple, quickly leapt off of him.  
  
"Oh James, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me!," she apoligized.  
  
"It's okay, I guess I deserved it. Just lets find our new hiding place," he said taking her hand and started to lead her down the hall. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Stuck With YOU

Chapter 7

By Mrs Padfoot

Disclaimer:  Ha ha.

Author's Note:  FANFICTION.NET BROKE!  -wails-  I don't know if this happened to EVERYONE, but it happened to both of us!  That's why we haven't been updating.  I don't know – was everybody having problems for the past few days or just some of us?  Oh well.  Some of you were asking about Lily/James action – Lily IS warming up to him, don't worry.  I'm not going to give away the wonderful ending that my partner in crime wrote, but don't expect anything EXTREME.  

**

            "This is awful," said James.

            "What is?" asked Lily.

            "I – I can't think of a hiding place," he said sadly.  "It's like my mind has gone – blank.  It's devastating."

            "I'm sure," said Lily, taking off up the stairs and (much to James's disappointment) removing her hand from his.  "Well, I know where **I'm **going."

            "Where?" asked James, scurrying to keep up with her.

            "Somewhere you can't go," she said sweetly.

            "Where?" asked James desperately.

            "The bathroom," she told him.

            "We've already hid in the bathroom," said James.  "Remus was there, REMEMBER?"

            "Oh," said Lily.  "Not that bathroom.  Just A bathroom."

            "I'm not sure that's a good idea," said James, sighing.  "I mean, LAST TIME we used a bathroom as a hiding spot, it didn't work out so well."

            "Who said anything about using the bathroom as a hidey – hidING spot?"

            "You did."

            "Did not."

            "Did too."

            "Did not."

            "Did too."

            "I didn't!"

            "Yes you –" but James was unable to finish his sentence, because at that moment, Lily rounded on him and furiously pinned him to the wall.

            "I did NOT," she said.

            "Okay, okay," he said.  She released him and continued along the hall.

            He took a look at her and sighed before following her as she continued.  One second, he was sure he was getting SOMEWHERE with her, and the next she was a firey ball of fury.

            "So," said James, when he had caught up with her, "if we're not HIDING in the bathroom, why are we going there?"

            "Because," said Lily, "I have been in your company, hiding, running, and doing other generally insane things for the past seven hours.  I need to go to the bathroom."

            "Ohhh," said James.  "I get it."

            "Took you long enough," she muttered.

            "I'll ignore that," said James.  "But, may I ask, why you're going to some OTHER bathroom when there's a girl's bathroom right there?"

            She glanced at the door he was pointing at.

            "That's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," said Lily, as if this were a perfectly logical explanation.

            "I – WHAT?" asked James.

            "It's a haunted bathroom," she said.

            "So?" said James.

            "So I'm not going in there," she said matter-of-factly.

            "Why?" asked James.

            "Because – it's – haunted," she said, as if speaking to a five-year-old.

            "You're not SCARED, are you Evans?" he asked.

            "No," she said, "I'm just not going in there."

            "I knew it," he said, taunting, "YOU'RE just too SCARED to go in the bathroom because you're afraid of an ickle ghostie!"

            "You have no idea how annoying that is, Potter," she said, rolling her eyes.

            "I have a pretty good idea," he said, grinning.  "But that's not the point.  The point is, I find it GALLING that our Head Girl is afraid of a GHOST in the bathroom."

            "I'm NOT afraid," she said sharply.

            "Prove it," he dared her.

            Any other time, any other day, she would have ignored him and walked on.  But at this point, she was suffering from fatigue, hunger, thirst, a full bladder, and seven hours straight of Potter exposure.

            She turned and walked straight over to the door, opened it, and walked in.

            James grinned at his victory, walked to the door, and leaned against the wall, humming and twiddling his thumbs.

            "She has to be here SOMEWHERE," said a voice.

            James knew that voice.  He stopped humming and tried to place it.

            "Sirius said James was with her at this point –" 

            Peter.

            James looked around frantically for a quick hiding place, and ended up dashing into the bathroom.

            The girl's bathroom.

            "Lily?" he asked.

            "James?  What are you doing in here?"

            "Erm -" 

            "In case you haven't noticed, this is a GIRL'S bathroom."

            "Well -"

            "I don't think you should be in here," she said.

            "I'm hiding," he said.

            "WHY?"

            "Because that's what we're DOING," he said.  "For seven straight hours we have been doing nothing but hiding!  Hide, hide, hide, and hide."

            "Yes, but WHY are you hiding NOW?  I thought you were waiting for me to finish outside!"

            "I was," said James, "but I heard Peter."

            "Pettigrew?"

            "No, Peter Dumbledore," said James, rolling his eyes.  "YES, Peter Pettigrew.  He was looking for us."

            "Him and the rest of the world," said Lily with a sigh.

            "No," said James, "Remus and Professor McGonagall aren't looking for us anymore."

            "You're right," said Lily, "apparently we have SANE people in this school.  Imagine that."

            "I never would have guessed," said James offhand.

            The stall door squeaked open and Lily walked out.

            "What now?" she asked.

            "I – I guess we wait," he said, shrugging.

            "For what?  We don't know when he'll be gone!"

            "I dunno," he said, "we just wait."

            "Fine," she sighed.

            "Maybe she's in the bathroom," said a voice outside the door.

            James's eyes went wide.

            "What now?" said Lily in a horrified whisper.

            "The back stall," said James, "QUICK!"

Splashing water in their wake, the two of them dashed past all the other stalls and towards the last one, shutting the door as quietly as they could.  Right on cue, the door squeaked open.

"I'm going to lever you upwards so you can see over the edge of the stall," James told Lily.  "Tell me what you see."

He held out his hand, and she stepped on it, then onto his shoulders.

"It IS Peter – and a couple first years – recruits, I suppose," she sighed.  Her eyes went wide.

"What is it?" asked James.

"They're checking the stalls for feet," said Lily, horrified.

"On the toilet, quick!" he whispered.

They clambered onto the toilet together, both attempting to stay on top without knocking the other off.  It was VERY close quarters, standing on the same toilet, and James couldn't help but notice that – 

"No one in here," said a squeaky-voiced first year, heading back towards Peter.

"You sure?" asked Peter.

"Yeah," said the first year, "we can't see anyone's feet."

"Feet?" asked Peter.

"Yeah," said the first year.

"James taught me this old trick once – stand on the toilet, and no one will see your feet," said Peter.

Lily glared at James.

"So we should probably open each door individually and check to see if they're standing on toilets," finished Peter.

"What do we do now?" Lily hissed at James.

"Uh," said James.

"You'd BETTER have an idea," said Lily.  "Cause this is YOUR fault.  If you hadn't TAUNTED me into coming in here, we would be at the OTHER girl's bathroom!"

"Well," said James, "we could always let them catch us – it IS sardines, after all."

Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Or we could climb onto the edge on TOP of the stall, then wait for them to exit the one next to us, and jump down into the stall next door at the last minute before they come look for us in here."

"Okay, let's do it," said Lily, climbing up towards the top of the stall.

"I was KIDDING," said James, watching as she climbed upwards.

Lily shrugged.

"Despite that, it was a good idea."

She was sitting on the edge of the stall above him, waiting for him, and watching Peter and his recruits check each stall.

James sighed and climbed up next to her.

Peter was already below them, looking around and down.

Luckily, he was not looking up.

He exited.

Lily jumped down quietly.

James wasn't sure he could be as graceful, so he aimed for the side of the toilet.

Lily snickered as he landed.

"No one here," said Peter, disappointed.

James grinned and moved to slip off the seat.

He slid.

Splash.

His left foot landed in the open toilet.

Lily glared at him.

James sighed.

"What was that?" asked Peter.

Lily's glare intensified immensely.

James gave her an innocent look.

She wasn't having any of it.

A sudden wail startled everyone.

"What was that?" mouthed Lily.

James shrugged.

A ghost came out of the toilet, glared at the two of them, and promptly burst into tears.

Peter's feet were resting outside the stall.

"Nobody likes Poor MYRTLE!" wailed the ghost.  She flew through the door of the stall, towards Peter, wailing the whole way.

"Wh – what?" asked Pettigrew.

"YOU ALL HATE ME!  WHO CARES ABOUT POOR MOANING, MOPING MYRTLE?  BOYS – YOU'RE ALL SO AWFUL, WORSE THAN GIRLS, EVEN – FIRST RUINING MY LIFE AND THEN RUINING MY DEATH!  WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE ME SO MUCH?"

Peter fled, first years scattering in his wake.  The door slammed shut.

"Ugh," said James.

"What?" asked Lily.  "We're safe now."

"Yes, but my foot's in the toilet.  It's not exactly a pleasant sensation, you know."

Lily giggled.

James glared half-heartedly and removed his soggy foot.

They opened the stall door and came face to face with a furious, sobbing ghost.

"You – you – AWFUL – you STEPPED ON ME!"

"Er – sorry," said James.

Myrtle dove into the toilet behind them, sobbing like a maniac.

James looked at Lily.

"You could've warned me," he hissed at her.

"I did," she reminded him.

James, unfortunately, could not argue with that.

"Where to now?" she asked him.

"Why can't we just hide here?" he asked.

"Because," she informed him, "the toilet's overflowing."

"Right," said James.

"Lead the way, Mr. Potter," said Lily, gesturing to the door.

"Of course M'Lady," he said, taking her by the arm and exiting the bathroom.


	8. Chapter Eight

Stuck With YOU
    
    Chapter Eight
    
    By Mrs Prongs
    
    Disclaimer: Anything remotely familiar is JK Rowling's.  Everything else (the insane stuff) is ours ;)
    
    Note:  Yes, nothing to extreme means Jamesey is not going to get lucky.
    
    In this story.
    
    **
    
                   "So, Potter, where are we hiding next? Let's see where we've hid so far," Lily
    
    said, starting to count the places out on her fingers. "The Three Broomsticks-"
    
                   James started to laugh. "The Three Broomsticks will never be the same again,"
    
    he said.
    
                   Lily rolled her eyes. "Can you just let me finish?"
    
                   "Sure, go ahead."
    
                   "Ok, the Three Broomstic-"
    
                   James cut her of by laughing again.
    
                   "SHUTUP!"
    
                   "Fine.
    
                   "Fine.
    
                   "Ergh!"
    
                   "You'll never win, Evans."
    
                   "Yea, whatever. Now if you're done annoying me, I'll continue."
    
                   "I'll never stop annoying you. I mean, you're Lily Evans. I'm James Potter.
    
    It's almost as if we were meant for eachother," he said, smiling.
    
                   "I'll marry Sirius and have five kids with him before I'd even consider going
    
    out with you."
    
                   "Thanks."
    
                   "No problem."
    
                   About 5 minutes later, Lily and James turned down the North Corridor on the
    
    third floor. James was obviously looking in places other than in front of him
    
    when he bumped into something solid.
    
                   He looked up. "God, Snivellus, you've got grease all over me!," he exclaimed
    
    jumping back and wiping off his robes of the non existent grease.
    
                   "Potter," Snape said.
    
                   "Glad you know who I am. Of course I couldn't forget me either if I were you."
    
                   Snape ignored him.
    
                   "I'm under the impression that everyone who is playing Sardines, including me, 
    
    is looking Evans."
    
                   Lily gasped in horror. "No, you can't be playing."
    
                   James just rolled his eyes. "Do you really think we're going to let you play
    
    with us? I'm sorry, But Miss Evans and I are not stupid."
    
                   "But the rules-"
    
                   "Can be changed. You're excluded from the game."
    
                   "No, I'm not."
    
                   James turned to Lily and whispered under his breath in her ear. "Turn around
    
    and run!"
    
                   At the same time, James and Lily turned around and bolted down the corridor
    
    like there was no tomorrow. Of course, you'd be doing the same if Severus Snape
    
    was suggesting that he hide with you just because of a stupid game.
    
                   At least 100 classroom doors later, they both stopped gasping for breath.
    
                   "Okay," James said with his hands on his knees, "we'll just go up the next
    
    flight of stairs and hide in the next place that catche our fancy."
    
                   "Alright," said Lily, clearly struggling for her breath also, "that was close."
    
                   "I know."
    
                   After going up the stairs and walking by at least a dozen possible hiding
    
    places, James spoke.
    
                   "I know!," he said.
    
                   "Okay, so Snivellus should be cleared off of the second floor now, right? Well,
    
    I know the perfect place to hide."
    
                   Lily sighed. "Okay, James, whatever you say."
    
                   "Exactly," James said and took her hand again.
    
                   They descended the steps and walked down the hall until James stopped in front
    
    of a statue of a humped back lady.
    
                   "A statue."
    
                   "A special statue." James took out his wand and tapped it. To Lily's surprise
    
    the stone woman moved aside to reveal a tunnel.
    
                   "I'm brilliant," James said, complimenting himself.
    
                   Lily ignored his vain remark. "So where does this lead to?"
    
                   "Hogsmeade."
    
                   "Ohhhh, and how many people know of it this time?"
    
                   "Well, Sirius, but he's too daft to remember it, Remus, but he's not even
    
    playing anymore, and Peter, but well, I'm sure he doesn't remember it because I
    
    think we just told him about it."
    
                   "Wonderful, Potter. You're actually doing something right this time."
    
                   James smiled. "Thanks, Lily, that was really actually nice coming out of your
    
    mouth.
    
                   "Yes, well, don't get used to it. Now are we going to stand in front of the
    
    passageway or are we actually going to go down it anytime soon?"
    
                   "Oh, right," he said, and took Lily's hand once again and led her down the dark
    
    tunnel.
    
                   About ten minutes of walking in complete utter darkness, Lily got frustrated.
    
                   "You know, there is a little spell that makes light come out of the tip of your
    
    wand, James. Or have you not been paying attention in Charms class for seven
    
    years?"
    
                   "Damnit, I forgot," he answered honestly, and took his wand out of his robe
    
    pocket, muttering the correct incantation, 'Lumos'.
    
                   "Alright, light, now you can let go of my hand."
    
                   "But Lilyyyyyy, I like holding your hand, it's soft."
    
                   "Ugh, you make me sick," she said, pulling her hand away.
    
                   James chose not to say anything.
    
                   "Finally, the end," Lily said appreciativley ten minutes later when she saw the dim light.
    
                   "Yes, the end. What TIME is it?," James asked obviously surprised that it was
    
    nighttime.
    
                   "Well, let's see, I was so stupid as to agree to this game at 12 pm. I was
    
    stuck in the Three Broomsticks for two hours until you came along. About an hour
    
    later we went up to the castle and adding up all of the time, we were in Moaning
    
    Myrtles bathroom the seventh hour and I'd say, all together, it's about 9pm."
    
                   "You got an A in Arithmancy, didn't you?"
    
                   "Of course," Lily stated as the reached the end of the tunnel.
    
                   "Now, time to find a new hiding spot," James said, grinning.


	9. Chapter Nine

Stuck With YOU

Chapter Nine

By Mrs Padfoot

Disclaimer: Hee.

Various Answers to Questions: Haha . . . hidey-pot makes its reappearance in this chapter ;) There are going to be ten chapters . . . so we're almost done . . . oh no!  Auugh!  Is Lily really that bitchy?  She's sarcastic, yes, and not exactly FOND of Jamesey, but she's not really a bitch, is she?  Although, admittedly, she was stupid to agree to play.  Ooh, that must be a mistake, cause there wouldn't be any moonlight in the tunnel, would there?  I'll fix that when I'm done posting that.  Thanks to everyone who reviewed (we hit 100!!  Yay!!) and especially those of you who put us/our story on your faves list!  You don't know how much that means to us.  Hee.

&&

            "Where are we?" asked Lily, blinking.

            "The basement of Honeydukes," grinned James.

            "Honeydukes?" asked Lily incredulously.

            "Honeydukes," confirmed James.

            "I take everything back," she sighed.  "This was not brilliant and you are not brilliant."

            "What?" he asked, looking miffed.

            "We're in the OFF-LIMITS, RESTRICTED BASEMENT, James Potter, in case you hadn't noticed!  And you know what?  There is NO WAY we are going to be able to get OUT of Honeydukes without someone seeing and recognizing us!  With our luck, they'll all be up there LOOKING for us."

            "We could stay in the basement," sighed James.

            "No we could not," said Lily, "unless you want to be banned from this store from life."

            "We could NOT stay in the basement," said James.

            "Okay," said Lily.  "Since you suggested it, I'll leave you to come up with a brilliant plan to get us OUT of the basement."

            "Yay," said James sarcastically, "I'm psyched."

            "I knew you would be," said Lily, grinning at him.  James couldn't help but grin back.

            He was pathetic.

            "Okay," he said.  "Here's the plan.  We take the empty boxes, put them on our heads, and sneak out with the boxes on our heads!  That way, no one will see our faces and know it's us!"

            She stared at him.

            "YOU come up with a BETTER plan," he scowled.

            "ANYONE can come up with a better plan than THAT," she said.

            "I bet you can't," he said.

            She couldn't, but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell HIM that.

            "Really, I'm serious," she sighed.  "How would you react if you saw two people with BOXES ON THEIR HEADS in the middle of the candy store?"

            "I guess I'd call Saint Mungo's . . ." said James thoughtfully.

            "My point exactly!"

            "Oh – er – right," said James.

            They stared at each other for a few seconds.

            "So," said James amicably, "how do you intend to get us out of the basement, Miss Evans?"

            She just looked at him.

            "I take it – we're voting boxes?" he asked.

            "Boxes," said Lily miserably.

**

            "I – cannot – believe – I – am – doing – this!" said Lily as they reached the top of the basement steps.

            "Yeah, well," said James, his voice muffled from beneath the cardboard box he was wearing over his head.

            Something creaked.

            "What was that?" hissed Lily.

            "What was what?"

            "That noise!"

            "I don't know," shrugged James.

            "Is it just me, or is it brighter in here than it was before the noise?"

            "WHO THE HELL IS IN MY BASEMENT WEARING BOXES ON THEIR HEADS?"

            "We've been found," said James, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"

            And with that, he dashed ahead, running over the person who had opened the basement door, vaguely aware of Lily running behind him.

            He stopped.

            She crashed into him.

            "Where's the exit?" asked Lily curiously.

            "THIS WAY!" yelled James.  Unfortunately, he wasn't quite aware of the direction that the door was actually in.

            Even worse, Lily was stupid enough to think he did.

            "I can't see a thing!"

            "D'you think I CAN?"

            And so, the trampled owner of Honeydukes Magical Sweet Shop watched as two students wearing cardboard boxes that bore the logo BERTIE BOTTS EVERY FLAVOR BEANS crashed headlong into the rack of Pumpkin Pasties in the front.

            "Ow," said one.

            "You got that one right," said the other.

            "Now what?" asked the masculine voice.

            "We are going to crawl the rest of the way out," said the feminine voice.

            "WHAT?"

            "You heard me."

            "Well, EXCUSE me, but Ja – *I* do NOT CRAWL!"

            "Well, there's always a first time," said the female voice, removing the part of her box so that she could see.  Unfortunately, her back was facing the trampled one.

            The other one imitated her, and, mumbling something about how he was losing all the dignity he ever had, followed her, crawling.

            The entire population of Honeydukes, whether they worked there or were just shopping around, watched them in silence as they exited.

            Then, as one, they all blinked.

            As soon as they were out of view, Lily threw her box onto the ground next to her.

            "I hate you, James Potter," she told him as he gingerly removed his own box from his own head.

            "What did I do THIS time?" he asked.

            "Do I really have to explain this again?"

            "Oh – this again? – no, you don't have to explain," said James, gulping.  "Believe me, I don't want to hear it again."

            "So," Lily sighed, "where do you plan on taking us this time?"

            "ME?"

            "Yes, you," said Lily, poking him.

            "WHY ME?"

            "Because YOU brought us to Hogsmeade in the first place," said Lily.

            "But I've chosen more hidey-pots than you!  You've only chosen ONE!"

            "TWO," she corrected, "I chose the first one, didn't I?"

            "Whatever," he said, "my point is, who has chosen ALMOST all our hiding spots?"

            "James," she said in a warning tone.

            "Maybe we don't need to hide," said James desperately, "maybe they've all gone back to Hogwarts!  They WERE all supposed to go back to the castle HOURS ago!"

            "James," said Lily, "do you really think a stupid thing like rules would get in the way of finding us?"

            "No," he said miserably.

            "Didn't think so," she grinned.

            "Now, where are we going?"

            "Somewhere FAR, FAR AWAY!"

            "Really, James, be serious."


	10. Chapter Ten

Stuck With YOU  
  
The Final Chapter Ten  
  
By Mrs Prongs  
  
Disclaimer: Hehehe. JK is NOT this stupid...though she owns the characters.  
  
Author's note: This WONDERFUL FINAL chapter was written by the equally WONDERFUL  
  
Mrs. Prongs. I have to say that my partner, Mrs. Padfoot, and I have had an  
  
excellent time writing this and we thank you so much for all of the wonderful  
  
reviews. Oh, and I was going to say something else, I just forgot...-Mrs. Prongs  
  
**  
  
"Well, I'd say it's one of my best ideas yet," James said.  
  
"How many times have you said that? Wait, don't answer, but the results of  
  
every one of them ended with us being found or on the verge of being found,"  
  
said Lily, sighing.  
  
James looked offended. "Well, like I said, I'm not a seer and I cannot control  
  
people and their actions."  
  
"Thank God," Lily said, "because then we'd all be dead by now."  
  
"I'm offended," stated James.  
  
"I'm sure you are. You know and I know that if you could control peoples  
  
actions, it would be all in the name of your stupid little pleasures or on the  
  
behalf of your laziness."  
  
"I'm not going to even reply to that."  
  
"Good," she said as they continued to walk down the dirt road towards the  
  
castle.  
  
"So where are we going this time? I'm not going back into Hogwarts until I know  
  
I'm safe," Lily said, observing her surroundings, just to make sure that someone  
  
wasn't going to suddenly pop out around the corner and be stuck with them.  
  
"Why so anxious, Lily dear?," asked James, who was noticing her jumpy behavior.  
  
"I swear James Potter, if I get stuck with someone else because of you and this  
  
stupid little game, I'll strangle you," she threatened.  
  
"I think you've already tried, if you haven't forgotten," James said, reminding  
  
her of the little "incident" in the first floor corridor.  
  
"I've already apologized for that, now would you just tell me where we're  
  
going?!," asked Lily, a little annoyed.  
  
"The Forbidden Forest," he stated simply.  
  
Lily went into a state of shock.  
  
"What's wrong?," asked James, a little upset.  
  
Lily started looking around quickly.  
  
"What are you doing?," he asked, trying to get her attention.  
  
"I'm looking for somewhere to run to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"WHY? WHY? JAMES POTTER YOU KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL WHY. I'm running away from  
  
YOU. There is no way in HELL that you're dragging me into the Forbidden Forest!  
  
Has it slipped your mind as to why it's called the FORBIDDEN Forest?! Maybe  
  
because it's dangerous, but you know, I wouldn't know because I haven't been  
  
there and I'm not planning to anytime soon. ESPECIALLY NOT IN THE NAME OF A  
  
STUPID CHILDREN'S GAME!"  
  
**  
  
Lily sat on a bed of leaves wondering where her life had gone terribly wrong.  
  
Why was she sitting on the Forbidden Forest's edge with none other than James  
  
Potter? How had he convinced her to come here? One minute she was trying to get  
  
away from him, and the next minute she's putting her own life in danger just to  
  
win a game of Sardines. A game that she had been threatened into playing, mind  
  
you. And why was she the victim? That's something she couldn't remember either  
  
and was planning to ask Sirius the next time she saw him. Of course, she wasn't  
  
sure she would let him live long enough just so she could ask an obviously, at  
  
this point, petty little question.  
  
"So, how long do you think it will take them to find us NOW?!," came a voice  
  
from beside her.  
  
Lily turned to see James smiling triumphantly.  
  
"Please don't tell me you think this is a good idea," she groaned.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I DO think it's a good idea. I know no one will find us  
  
now. I mean, who is stupid enough to come into the Forbidden Forest?"  
  
Lily mumbled under her breath something that James couldn't hear.  
  
"What was that?," he asked.  
  
"I said," Lily took a deep breath here,"OF COURSE NO ONE IS GOING TO LOOK HERE!  
  
YOU'RE the only one idiotic enough to be here. If there ever was an award handed  
  
out to the dumbest person of all man kind, you'd be the recipent. There your  
  
name would be, in shining gold letters, on a plaque that said 'Dumbest Huming  
  
Being Alive'," she said, motioning her hands along with her.  
  
"Yea, that would be cool, woudn't it?," said James, nodding his head in  
  
agreement.  
  
"URGH! FORGET IT! I'm going up to the castle now! You can come with me if you  
  
want to. I really DO NOT CARE if I lose. I DO NOT CARE if the whole school tries  
  
to kill me, because I have a better chance of living up there than I do down  
  
here!," she yelled, standing up and wiping the leaves off of her school robes.  
  
"Evans!," said James, clearly upset,"You can't just go now!"  
  
"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID FIVE BLOODY HOURS AGO!," she screamed and started for the  
  
school. There was a ruffling of twigs and leaves about twenty feet behind her  
  
and she abrubtly stopped.  
  
"What was that?," she whispered to James who was standing next to her.  
  
"I don't know, just be quiet and do not move," he said, turning around.  
  
There, standing in front of James and behind Lily, was a centuar.  
  
"What are you doing in our forest, humans?," the centaur asked, crossing his  
  
arms.  
  
"Erm, I, we, I mean, I," James stuttered, a look of fear overcoming his face.  
  
He could feel Lily beside him.  
  
"James?," Lily whispered with fright tinting her voice, "I'd think we'd better  
  
run."  
  
"Right." At that, the both ran for their lives, out of the Forbidden Forest,  
  
over the grounds and all the way up the steps and did not stop until they were  
  
in the Entrance Hall.  
  
As soon as they were safely inside, Sirius exited the Great Hall.  
  
"I FOUND THEM!," he screamed to the people behind them, "I FOUND LILY AND  
  
JAMES! THE GAME IS OVER!" James and Lily heard "awws" coming from inside the  
  
Great Hall as Sirius walked up towards them  
  
"Wow! That's the longest game of Sardines I have ever played, and the most  
  
succesful one too," he said, shaking James's hand, "How did you do it? Only TWO  
  
people at the end of a FOURTEEN HOUR game."  
  
"Fourteen hours?," Lily said astounded, "and twelve of them with James Potter?"  
  
"Yup," said Sirius, smiling.  
  
"I swear this has been the worst day of my life," she said, groaning.  
  
James spoke up. "Was everyone still playing up to this point?"  
  
"Well, mostly. I think about one fourth of us went to bed, half of them cursing  
  
and saying they were going to kill Lily Evans in morning," Sirius replied.  
  
Lily groaned again.  
  
"Well, I'm off to the common room," Sirius said,"are you two coming?"  
  
"Yeah," said James, answering for the both of them.  
  
Sirius, Lily and James ascended seven flights of stairs, went through the Fat  
  
Lady's portriat, and settled down in the common room. To Sirius's surprise,  
  
James and Lily were sitting on the same peice of funiture, and not uttering a  
  
rude word between them.  
  
After about 20 minutes of Lily and James explaining the whole story to Sirius,  
  
Remus, Peter, and about everyone else in Gryffindor house, Remus stated he was  
  
going to bed and he suggested the rest of the house do as well because they had  
  
mid semester exams tomorrow.  
  
When everyone was up in their dormitories, excluding James and Lily, who had  
  
explained that they were too tired to move, Lily spoke.  
  
"You know, it might sound crazy, but I had fun today. Even though you managed  
  
to do something stupid every five minutes."  
  
"I had fun too, even though Sirius got lucky before me, I doubt I'll ever be  
  
allowed in Honeydukes again and we almost got killed by centuars."  
  
Lily giggled and rested her head on James's shoulder. James raised his eyebrows  
  
but said nothing. Two minutes later they were both fast asleep on the common  
  
room sofa together.  
  
THE END.  
  
Author's Note...Again: Mrs. Padfoot, the idiot, wants to know your thoughts on  
  
the story, so if you can, please tell us in your review what your favorite  
  
chapter was and what your favorite line was. Thanks, Mrs. Prongs. 


End file.
